North Korean Soldier Crosses Demilitarised Zone Into South

A North Korean soldier crossed the Demilitarised Zone that divides the peninsula, Seoul's military said Thursday, in a rare direct defection across the heavily fortified frontier.

More than 30,000 North Koreans have escaped to the South since the two were separated by war more than 65 years ago, according to Seoul government data, many of them driven by prolonged economic hardship.

But the vast majority have gone first to the North's neighbour and ally China before making their way to the South, usually via a third country. 

Only a few have dared to cross the DMZ, which is riddled with landmines and has a heavy military presence on both sides.

In November 2017, a North Korean soldier made global headlines when he dashed through the border village of Panmunjom in a hail of gunfire from his own side. The trooper, then 24, was hit several times but survived.

The defection announced Thursday, which took place in the central part of the peninsula, was only the third such crossing since then.

The man was seen late Wednesday night in the DMZ moving in a southerly direction after crossing the Military Demarcation Line that forms the border, Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

He was taken into custody "in accordance with procedures" and was being questioned, they added. 

Aside from the fact he was a soldier, there was no immediate word on the man's identity or his motives.

"No particular North Korean military movement is seen across the border," the Joint Chiefs said.